Kane County

Letter: Roskam posturing with ACA opposition

Published: Sunday, April 13, 2014 1:16 p.m. CST

By SUBURBAN LIFE MEDIA

Children’s Resource Center thanks volunteers

To the Editor

In honor of National Volunteer Week, the Glen Ellyn Children’s Resource Center is sending a big “thank you” out to the hundreds of community members who spend their time making a difference in the lives of our children.

To paraphrase that famous author, “Anonymous,” who wrote, one hundred years from now, it won’t matter what kind of car we drove or how much money we had in our bank account. What will matter is that we made a difference in the life of one child.

The volunteers at the Glen Ellyn Children’s Resource Center choose to be about what matters and we are ever grateful.

Founded in 2002, our mission is to improve the lives of low-income and refugee children who live in our community and attend our schools. Our after-school tutoring program, fueled by the generous support of 196 volunteer tutors, has changed over a hundred children’s lives this year for the better. Seeing a child grow in self esteem, worth and competence in school and in life is the best reward of volunteering.

This transformational power of giving through volunteerism allows the giver to feel they are making a difference, and for the receiver, it can open new roads to knowledge and success.

Who benefits more? I know for a fact that both our volunteer tutors and students said that they each do.

I also know that the Glen Ellyn Children’s Resource Center benefits just as much. We would not be able to do what we do without the generous support of our volunteers. Again, thank you so very much.

If you want to test out the benefits of volunteering, we will be happy to have you join us in making a difference in the life of a child today. Email volunteer@gecrc.com.

Joyce Hothan

Executive Director

Glen Ellyn Children’s Resource Center

Roskam posturing with ACA opposition

To the editor:

As President Obama chalks up the 6 millionth enrollee under the Affordable Care Act, meeting the administration’s first 2014 first quarter goal, my congressman, Pete Roskam, awaits his 53rd chance to destroy the ACA’s benefits to the tens of millions of folks who no longer have to worry about being shut out of financial- and life-saving health insurance.

Realizing that neither vote 53 nor vote 553 will destroy the greatest legislation helping needy Americans since Medicare was passed in 1965, Roskam has turned over his congressional website, www.roskam.house.gov, almost exclusively to hysterical scare tactics for the Tea Party faithful who robotically turn out to re-elect career politician Roskam every two years.

Here are the current website headlines that crowd out every important issue that a fabulously well-paid congressman should be addressing:

• “Roskam introduces bill to create Special Inspector General for monitoring ACA”

Of course, that wasn’t the only issue on Roskam’s home page. Don’t forget this related bit of antisocial safety net nonsense Roskam has been peddling for years:

• “Roskam leads bipartisan effort to combat billions of dollars in waste, fraud and abuse in Medicare and Medicaid”

Roskam’s feigned outrage is simply political posturing at its worst.

All things considered, I’ll take Obama’s 6 million ACA sign-ups helping to improve and even save folks’ lives than Roskam’s 52 heartless and inhumane votes designed to force those 40 million folks into penury, poor health or the grave.